Ian Benjamin - Trainer, Facilitator, Speaker, Writer                                       Associated site

HOME

M 0419 593 167

T  1800 266 266

T  03 9593 1678

ian@ianbenjamin.com.au

 

 Facilitator

Speaker

Trainer

Consulting skills

Presentation skills

Writer

Contact Ian


The second edition of Ian's book, Consulting, Contracting and Freelancing: Be Your Own Boss, published by Allen & Unwin, was released in August 2007.  The book is listed by Smart Business in Queensland - the State Government Business Advisory office as the recommended book for people going into small business.

Click here to read some reader reviews

Click here to buy it

 

Newsletter #26 dated March 2009 is available - click on the right hand side of this page to receive it.

 

 

Facilitator - Ian Benjamin

The major areas serviced are:

 

Planning meetings

  • Work out and then focus on clear objectives

  • Resolve conflicts and issues

  • Enhance teamwork and commitment from all personnel

  • Increase productivity, mobilise participants

Special purpose meetings

  • Solve a problem: Merger?  Who to promote as partners?  Performance issues.  Managing Growth.  Board cohesion?

  • Develop a clear strategy for a particular purpose

  • Decide on a merger, sale, or significant change of direction

Chairing meetings of partners of professional and consulting firms

  • Allows your chair person to be involved

  • Keep to time, keep to the agenda

  • Keep it professional (not personal)

  • Innovative ideas to discuss problems, resolve issues

  • Keeps the event interesting

  • Boosts participant energy levels

  • Increases the value of the exercise

Here are some of the facilitation events Ian has led:

  • Accounting firm annual Partners and Managers conference

  • Accounting firm marketing planning session

  • City Club planning meeting

  • Engineering consulting firm future directions special purpose meeting

  • Industry Association changeover of office bearers and planning sessions

  • Industry Association special purpose problem solving meetings

  • Industry Association professional staff planning meetings

  • Legal firm half-yearly regular Partners' Meetings

  • Legal firm annual Partners' Meetings

  • Large regional firm corporate half yearly planning meetings

  • Medical organisation annual planning meetings

  • Management consulting firm planning meeting

  • Manufacturing firm special purpose problem solving meetings

  • Management consulting firm special purpose problem solving meetings

  • Wine maker special purpose problem solving meeting

Testimonial

'You provided excellent facilitation of our planning meeting. You involved all parties, knowing when to draw out the quiet ones and when to move on from the more active contributors. You kept the pace moving, provided an effective array of techniques for us to consider the issues. You kept us to the agenda and on time. Well done – one of the best facilitators I have seen’

Dr Michael Moore

Chief Executive Officer, Central Sydney Division of General Practice, Ashfield, March 2003, Bowral March 2004

 

Successive engagements - 

From clients over 3 to 5 years - references available on request to interested parties

Why have Ian facilitate?

 

Experienced, so that you can:

  • Set and accomplish realistic objectives

  • Keep to the agenda - unless it is necessary to achieve the objective

  • Keep to time

  • Enjoy the process - through agenda planning and variation in methods of discussing and treating issues.

Ian is

  • Impartial and independent

  • Quick to think on his feet

  • Sensitive to the mood and the levels of participation. Ian will draw out the quiet people and can manage the high contributors

  • Young enough to have new ideas, old enough not to be intimidated

  • Capable of finding the balance between leading and enabling your people to set the pace

Ring him to discuss your situation: 0419 593 167 – he will call you back.

 

Top...

 

Click here to receive Ian Benjamin's Newsletter

2009 Public engagements

- PMI (Project Management Institute) Sydney PWC  - December 9

- Successful Consulting - Chartered Secretaries Australia - Melbourne December 1

- Successful Consulting - Chartered Secretaries Australia - Sydney November 19

- Successful Consulting - Mercure Sydney - November 16 & 17

- Successful Consulting - Chartered Secretaries Australia - Brisbane November 5

 

Recent Public Engagements

- AAAC (Australian Association of Agricultural Consultants) - Consulting business skills, Melbourne - October 29; Adelaide - September 23; Toowoomba - September 8; Wagga Wagga - April 7

- Successful Consulting:  Sydney - July; Melbourne & Brisbane - June

- PMI (Project Management Institute) Melbourne - May 26

Recent engagements by Ian include conducting needs analyses, course design and delivery for:

  • IT consultants moving from a contracting mode of service delivery to the higher value consulting model

  • Project Managers to win more business through relationship marketing rather than by competitive tender

  • IT consultants to improve their consulting service delivery to win more repeat business from their existing client base

  • Internal consultants in a Shared Services unit to be more pro-active and to take leadership in the company's quest for continuous improvement

  • Investment Consultants to be more professional, systematic and consultative approach in their service delivery

  • Facilitation of a one day planning, direction setting and problem solving event for a special interest group

  • Coachees in a number of organisations including one who is moving the organisation to a consultative model of business from the older transaction mode.